Baghdad car bomb attacks

Baghdad car bomb attacks

Iraqi civilians inspect damage in the aftermath of a Tuesday car bombing that killed many people and wounded tens of others in a crowded outdoor market, in Baghdad's Sadr City, Iraq,Wednesday, June 18, 2014. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

A series of bombings in Baghdad and shelling in another Iraqi city killed 21 people on Tuesday, while police found the bodies of 18 security personnel north of the capital.

The violence came during a major offensive, spearheaded by the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant but involving other groups, which overran all of one province and chunks of three more in a matter of days.

In the deadliest single attack, a car bomb exploded in a market in the predominantly-Shiite Muslim area of north Baghdad, killing at least 11 people and wounding more than 20, security and medical officials said. Five more bombings in the capital killed a further six people and wounded 14, officials said. (Reuters)